Attachment for claw hammers



Feb. 13, 1951 McLEAN 2,541,372

ATTACHMENT FOR CLAW HAMMERS Filed Jan. 5, 1949 Fig./. Fig.2.

Fig.4.

5 2/ 23 David K.M.McLean INVENTOR.

BY @MM MWWEMW Patented Feb. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to attachments for claw hammers which are classified by some as added leverage facilities and by others as auxiliary fulcrum means and the obvious purpose of the attachment is to add to the utility of the claws so that the latter may be used to greater advantage in reliably gripping and extracting lengthy nails.

My aim, in the ments of an attachment in the category under advisement.

In carrying out a preferred embodiment of the attachment I provide an anchor and hingedly attach the complemental auxiliary fulcruming unit thereto and it is an object of the invention to so make the anchor that it is adaptable for secure application to the end portion of the handle which is exposed through the usual centrally socketed portion of the hammer head.

A further object is to provide attachment means of the style under consideration which is simple and economical and wherein the parts may be fashioned from inexpensive and easily fashioned metal stampings.

In addition to the above, it is an object of the present invention 'to provide the hingedly mounted swingable iulcruming member with a side lobe-like ear which has a keyhole slot and which is opposed to a co-acting surface of the hammer head to function as a nail holder and starter, whereby to permit the user to initially sink a nail in a manner where, from a scaffold or ladder, he is compelled to hold on with one hand and to safely start the nail, which is attached to the hammer, with the other hand.

Other objectives, structural distinctions, and worthy accomplishments of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

Figure 1 is what may be designated as a front end elevation showing a conventional claw-type hammer head with the novel attachment applied thereto, showing, in addition, how the device is used as a nail holder and starter.

Figure 2 is a side view, a view at right angles to Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view based on Figure 2 and showing the manner in which the attachment is employed to facilitate the extraction of a, nail.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the horizontal line 4-4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a similar sectional view at right angles to Figure 4.

Referring now to the drawings by distinguishing reference numerals, the hammer head, which is usual in construction, is denoted by the numeral 1 and includes a central socket portion 8, the customary poll 9 and curvate claws ID. The

handle is wedged and fitted into the socket, said handle being denoted by the numeral II.

The improved attachment is characterized, broadly speaking, by two complemental units, the anchor unit 12 and the fulcrum unit I3. Unit I2 is formed from strap metal bent between its ends to provide a hinge knuckle l4 and face-toface leaves l5 and I 6 apertured to permit passage of suitable fastenings I 1, whereby said anchor unit is secured to the end of the handle, as best brought out in Figures 4 and 5. The knuckle provides a satisfactory bearing for a hinge pintle or pin I 8. attached to ears I9 carried by the relatively movable fulcruming unit l3. The latter is fashioned from a stamping or suitably fashioned piece of metal which may be said to be channelshaped in cross section and which includes, therefore, a web or plate portion 20 and parallel side flanges 2| and 22. The free endportion is bent laterally and flanged and fashioned into a foot 23 which constitutes an abutment and strikes against the fulcruming surface of the claws I0, whereby to bring a new and auxiliary fulcrum into play and to thus provide amplified leverage for more satisfactorily extracting a nail, as brought out in Figure 3.

The side flange 2| has an extension which constitutes a lug and said lug is denoted by the numeral 24 and provided with a keyhole-shaped slot 25. The lug is preferably resilient and the free tip portion is deflected laterally and toward the socket 8 so as to have frictional binding contact with said socket. Consequently, the lug serves, in one capacity, to keep the hinged unit I 3 closed, that is, in the position shown in the drawings. In this position it is ready for use as a fulcrum but is also kept frornswinging freely in and out and, therefore, does not interfere with the customary use of the hammer for driving nails. That is to say, the unit l3 does not haphazardly swing in and out while hammering in the usual way and this is an important advantage in attachments in the category under advisement as is obvious. Not only does the lug serve as a detent for the unit l3 but it also has the added function of providing a holder for the nail 26 in the manner shown in Figure 1. Here, the nail is fiitted into the keyhole slot and seated in the restricted end portion of the slot and the nail thus extends at right angles to one side flank of the socket 8 whereby the head bears against the socket and the shank extends through and beyond the slot, permitting the attachment to be employed as a nail starter. With the nail in position as shown in Figure 1, it may be initially impacted and sufficiently driven into a surface that it will stay in position until driven home with the poll 9 in the usual way. The nail head can usually be fed into the slot without swinging the unit 13 out. If, however, any difilculty is met the unit may be swung out to facilitate loading the keyhole slot with the nail and then returning the unit it to th position shown where it is held by the detent 24 until the nail is started Then, the

slotted portion of the lug may be readily dis- --er;rgaged from the head of the nail, in an bvious manner.

Reiterating, somewhat by way of summation,

I would stress the fact that a two-part attachment characterized by an anchor unit l2 simply bent from metal and fashioned into a adapter for attachment to the end of a handle and also serving as a hinge pin accommodation member is novel. The conjunction with the unit I 2 of the simple swingable fulcrum unit 1 3 of channelshape form and the hinging of same so that it .looked. Of equal importance, is thesimple lug arrangement 24 with the lug serving not only as a friction-engaging detent for unit l3 but as a carrier and holder for a nail, as shown in Figure l, is considered important.

.It is thought that persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the invention after considering the description in connection with the drawings. Therefore, a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Minor changes in the shape, size and arrangement of details coming within the field of invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice.

if desired. Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An attachment for a hammer head comprising an anchor unit, said unit embodying a strip of metal bent upon itself to provide overlapping ears, the intermediate bend being fashioned into a hinge knuckle, a hinge pintle in said knuckle. and a relatively swingable fulcruming unit having one end connected with said hinge pintle, the free end of said fulcruming member being laterally'bent to provide a claw abutment, said fulcruming unit being channel-shaped in cross-section and including side flanges, one flange having, intermediate its ends, an outstanding lug-said lug being resilient and forming a detent, and

said lug having a keyhole slot formed therein and serving as a nail starter.

' 2. In a construction of the class described, in combination, a handle, a claw-equipped hammering head mounted on the end of the handle and including the usual central socket exposing an end of the handle, an adapter unit fastened to the stated end of the handle in registry with the socket, a fulcruming unit hingedly mounted on said adapter, said iulcruming unit being provided with a resilient lug constituting a friction detent, the latter being normally in engagement with the hammer head to hold the fulcruming unit steady, the free end portion of said fulcruming unit being laterally bent to provide a foot and said foot being adapted to bridge and come into direct contact with the claws on said head.

DAVID K. M. McLEAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 623,455 Yonge Apr. 18, 1899 2,223,801 Giroux Dec. 3, 1940 2,231,206 Anderson Feb. 11, 1941 

